Route: East RidgeInfo: Sunday, December 4th - East Ridge
MicroSpikes- MUST!! Snowshoes- YES last 3,000ft!! (Learned my lesson)
Road Conditions: Not too bad. Still could see gravel through the snow which helped with traction. Slightly snowpacked and icy in spots but had to park down towards the south trailhead due to the rental I was in (Chevy Trax). High clearances covered in ice. But I saw a Jeep Wrangler and a Truck up at south trailhead so better 4WD vehicles should be ok.
Trail Snow Conditions: Basin was 1ft-2ft packed from snowshoes, Above treeline: Odd patches of 1in- 4ft due to snow drift.
Very loose snow in areas on trail causing the wind to create drift lines making it hard to find the trail. Know the route and use your gps (Elbert has service till tree line)! There's a lot of camp turn offs/ other trails that can be quite confusing in the snow.
Wind Conditions: Tis the season to be Windy!! Not a constant wind on Sunday more like 45mph gusts with sprays of snow.
Im a smaller girl so I got toss around like a rag doll a little. But snowshoes should help that!
Decent amount of snow on the trail causing it hard to make out the trail. I got lost and followed the Colorado Trail too far and didn't make it back in time to summit. Two men however DID summit and were headed down as I got about half way.
Totally doable with snowshoes but SUPER COLD on top the guys said -30's with 45mph winds.
Almost EVERYTHING froze! Make sure you have insulated water or you will be SOL!

Route:Northeast RidgeInfo: So little snow below treeline it might as well have been dry. Above treeline the trail was either blown dry by wind or buried under a drift. Drifts ranged from 2 to 8 inches deep and were sometimes avoidable. We wore microspikes above treeline because of the ice hidden under the drifts, and the abundance of steep sections above 12,000 ft, but it could certainly be done without them.

Route:Northeast RidgeInfo: Light snow on the trail above treeline. I had microspikes, but they were not needed, poles were sufficient. Microspikes would have been helpful in a few spots descending from 14,000 through 13000. Great sunny day, calm winds on the summit.

Route:Northeast RidgeInfo: We hiked Mt. Elbert yesterday. We didn't encounter any snow/ice on the trail until after tree line. Even then, it was minimal
but enough to get you slipping and sliding if you weren't careful. The summit didn't have snow and the wind was COLD!

Route:East RidgeInfo: Beautiful day today. A little snow on the trail above 13k. No need for spikes. Maybe if it's cold, but you'd probably be taking them on and off. Wind was much more calm than forecasted. Not too crowded for Elbert.

Route:East RidgeInfo: There was a decent amount of snow on the trail, but it was soft snow and traction was good. I got by just fine with hiking boots and some trekking pole (I didn't use the yaktraks I brought). The 4WD road was clear to the upper trailhead. Some now in the trees down low, but it cleared up around treeline. Sporadic snow on trail between 12,500' and 13,500', pretty consistent snow higher than that. Surprisingly little wind at the top. Warm weather the next couple of days should melt some of the snow

Route:Northeast RidgeInfo: Beautiful day with no clouds in the sky. This is a longer hike but very easy and a simple trail to follow. There's about three false summits. Took us 8 hours total to go up and down, including multiple breaks for snacks and a long break at the top. There is no snow whatsoever on the trails. The parking lot is very easy to get to, any car could make it up this flat dirt road with just a few small bumps. I recommend this one for first timers and beginners

Route:Northeast RidgeInfo: Started the trail at 6AM and we there were four cars before us at the parking of the TH. First 30-45 minutes used a light on the trail, which was easy to find. Also the rest of the trail clearly visible where the main path goes. Got warmer, and took of the jacket at about 7.30AM. Above treeline sometimes some strong wind (colder, put on jacket again) or less wind (feels warm right away) and only few little spots with snow, but not significant. Didn't use poles/spikes.
Reached summit at about 9.45AM, enjoyed the view of an almost spotless clear blue sky with only 4 other hikers there. After a bagel and some water started the descend, warmed up below treeline and got back at TH at about 1PM in a t-shirt.

Route:Northeast RidgeInfo: Trail was in excellent shape with some snow above 13,700'. Unfortunately, peak was completely cloud covered when I arrived but views on way up, and back down, were spectacular. My first 14'er and looking forward to at least one more before Winter.

Route:Northeast RidgeInfo: Class 1 route mid-summer - it's exactly what you would expect. But seriously... trail is in good condition, mostly packed dirt, more rocks toward the top. Not much scree. The trail was super easy to follow, and the junctions with the Colorado Trail are clearly marked. There are a few places where people have taken shortcuts off the main trail and created "social trails" - not cool people. Please do your best to stay on the actual trail. It prevents erosion and keeps the trail from turning into a 6 foot wide highway. No snow anywhere on the route, and only a few places where there was a little bit water on the trail (again, don't walk off trail to avoid the puddles - bring proper gear to walk through them). Overall a beautiful day!

Route:Northeast RidgeInfo: Started at 1:30 A.M. I was the first person to summit about 45 minutes before sunrise. Easy to follow the route in the dark as long as you have a light. The route was packed on my descent around 6:30. I would recommend an early start as this is a popular peak.

Route:East RidgeInfo: Excellent summer conditions throughout the trail! The turn from the Colorado trail is clearly marked as well. No issues at all! Tons of people, lots of dogs and even a couple of bikes!

Route:East RidgeInfo: Gorgeous day on Mt. Elbert, up until we got fogged out at the summit. The East Ridge trail is in great condition, no snow on the path all the way up to the top. Beautiful views of Twin Lakes all the way up.
The sky was clear as we started at 6am but cloud cover started to creep in around 10a. We reached the summit at about 1130 and you couldn't see a dang thing over the other side of the mountain! Such a bizarre experience to be on top of a mountain but only see pure whiteness in the distance. Luckily I've done Elbert before and had experienced the summit beauty but my 2 other hiking partners hadn't and I felt bad for them to get screwed on the view! That is the consequence of dealing with mother nature though, you don't always get the exact conditions that you want-- it definitely could have been worse if she decided to start storming on us at the peak!
I highly recommend this route, especially if you're taking dogs. Our boxer loved every second of the climb.

Route:Northeast RidgeInfo: Peak conditions great. Breezy, but tolerable. 2 layers of clothing was plenty. I wore a hat and light gloves off and on up to the summit. No shoe cleats were needed for snow. Took 4 hours; 27 minutes to summit which included 3 small breaks. A little over 2 hours to descend. Weather changes quite fast, sunny with a few clouds at summit, and on our decent, we got rained on and hailed on several times. (Not enough to soak clothes though) There is no cover above the tree line. From summit to tree line, it takes about an hour moving very fast. I would also recommend sunscreen if you have visible arms/legs showing. Also use the rest room at the trailhead before starting your hike. After the tree line, there is no hiding! When you get to the rock piles, "do I have to climb this?" goes through your head... No. You can if you want as you will eventually meet the trail, but look for the trail that vears off to the right. All said and done, Amazing hike! I'm a runner of 8 years and very active, and this tested my abilities as a class 1 hike.